Come and celebrate the diversity of stories that make Southern California such a place of discovery. At the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, presented by L.A. as Subject and the USC Libraries, anyone with an interest in the region’s history will find something of value. A broad array of institutions and archives will have experts on hand to show off their collections and answer questions.

In addition to the wealth of information on display from exhibitors, day-long programming will feature preservation workshops and enlightening presenatations.

The USC Libraries serve as the host institution for L.A. as Subject, an alliance of libraries, museums, and other archival and cultural organizations. The relationship complements the USC libraries’ strong regional history collection and is a natural outgrowth of the libraries’ efforts to preserve and expand access to the primary sources of L.A. history.

USC is minutes from downtown Los Angeles and is easily accessible by major freeways and the Metro Expo line. Doheny Library is located in the center of campus, adjacent to Alumni Park and across from Bovard Auditorium, on Trousdale Avenue. For information regarding parking on campus, visit the Parking Services Website.

This collection contains a wide variety of interviewees over many years. Interviewees include Arizona pioneers and prominent citizens. As well, histories include narrations by pioneers themselves and discuss how families came to live in certain parts of Arizona. The collection is organized alphabetically by interviewee. It comprised a wide variety of topics and subject matter. A brief overview of subject matter discussed in the oral histories is provided with the individuals name.

Since the 1800’s, American popular culture has been filled with romanticized depictions about the West and the US Mexican border. These stereotypes became conventions in Western novels which typically include plots that portray conflicts between “law abiding” Americans and “blood thirsty” Indians who are typically regarded “savages” and treated as “other”. The Mexican border is typically portrayed as “lawless,” and Mexicans are usually described as dirty “bandidos”. Only American law and justice can bring peace in these works. Hollywood has also perpetuated these myths as evidenced in the abundance of Western films produced throughout the 20th Century the majority of which include stereotyped portrayals of Indians and Mexicans.

Tourism was an important enterprise in the first half of the twentieth century Southwest which also perpetuated a number of myths about the West and the border. In order to attract visitors to places like Tucson, groups such as the Tucson Sunshine Climate Club created promotional materials showing lots of open space, people enjoying the sunshine by a cool, clean swimming pool, and lots of fun “cowboy” like activities, such as horseback riding and cattle drives. Dude ranches, where “real” cowboys worked, were also in abundance and owners and promoters of these businesses, typically portrayed the region as having a mild, sunny climate, with lots of opportunities to engage in a variety of outdoor activities.

Visions of the Borderlands: Myths and Realities is an exhibition inspired by two works published by the University of Arizona Press, Celluloid Pueblo by Jennifer L. Jenkins and Postcards from the Sonora Border by Daniel D. Arreola. There is a reality and a myth of the U.S.–Mexico borderlands, propagated through multiple lenses. Featuring material depicting both reality and myth through photography, posters, pamphlets, and written documentation, this exhibit centers on important areas of enterprise for the Southwest such as photography and film; copper mining; tourism; and cattle ranching. It also expresses issues of discord such as the Mexican Revolution, mining strikes, and immigrant exclusionary legislation of the time.

Oral History Review

The Oral History Review publishes narrative and analytical articles and reviews, in print and multimedia formats, that present and use oral history in unique and significant ways and that contribute to the understanding of the nature of oral history and memory.

The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is proud to offer for the first time a day-long "Doing Oral History" workshop from 9am-5pm on November 13 in Baltimore, Maryland as part of the AMIA 2019 conference schedule! "Doing Oral History” will provide training in each of the core areas of this important documentation method.